It is important to note that although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidelines on HIV testing in healthcare settings, those recommendations do not supersede Maryland law and regulations. If there is any incongruence between CDC’s recommendations and Maryland law, State law must be followed.

Laboratory reporting has been expanded from HIV positive tests and CD4+ lymphocyte counts 200 cells to include all CD4+ lymphocyte tests. Reporting has been changed from unique identifier code to name.

Physician reporting has been expanded to include exposure of newborn infants to HIV. Identifying information will be removed after 18 months if the infant is found to no longer be HIV positive.

Increased restrictions on access to HIV/AIDS data and heightened penalties for intentional release of confidential HIV/AIDS data have been added.

CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN)

Up to date information about HIV/AIDS prevention including current CDC guidelines and recommendations for the detection, treatment, and care of HIV/AIDS. For more information please visit their website.

How to report HIV/AIDS Cases

The morbidity reporting form used by physicians, healthcare institutions, and other services providers to report all communicable diseases (DHMH Form 1140) was changed to add HIV, along with AIDS, as a reportable condition; each case report should be submitted by the provider to the local health officer within 48 hours. Physician Toolkit: Changes in HIV/AIDS Reporting Requirements

Additional HIV/AIDS Materials

Preventing Perinatal HIV Transmission

In past years, an estimated 92% of AIDS cases reported among children less than 13 years old in the US, were attributed to perinatal or mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Transmission can occur during pregnancy, labor, delivery or breastfeeding. Recent reductions in perinatal transmission are attributed to routine screening of pregnant women to identify those infected with HIV and the use of anti-retroviral drugs for treatment and prophylaxis. Rates of HIV transmission from an infected mother to her infant have been reduced to less than 2%, compared to 25%-30% with no interventions. The Baltimore Regional Perinatal Advisory Group (RPAG) works to optimize the health of pregnant women and newborn infants in the Baltimore region through education, advocacy and information sharing. RPAG has developed “Preventing Perinatal HIV Transmission: A Clinician’s Toolkit for Testing Counseling and Referral.”

Requirements for Perinatal HIV Counseling, Testing, and Referral: A Toolkit for Physicians

New regulations were approved in December 2009, following the enactment of the 2008 HIV/AIDS legislation aimed at reducing barriers to HIV testing in Maryland. A toolkit was developed by the Center in collaboration with the Infectious Disease and Environmental Health Administration, DHMH, which includes the latest information regarding HIV counseling, testing, and referral requirements in Maryland.